HBO’s epic television series Game of Thrones is coming to an end, but there is good news for diehard fans who are sad to see their favorite show approaching its final season.

Last week, HBO announced that it wants viewers to see a bit more of the world of Westeros which is why it has approved a prequel for the show. That’s right people, Game of Thrones is here to stay – at least for another few seasons.

HBO announced a prequel to Game of Thrones television series which is expected to release in 2020

HBO Announces Prequel to GoT

It was Entertainment Weekly that first reported the breaking news last week. According to the magazine, famed screenwriter, Jane Goldman, who has written plots of several successful films like X-Men and Kingsman: The Secret Service, is now working on a pilot episode for Game of Throne’s Prequel with the help of author George R.R. Martinwhose books inspired the original series. According to the details revealed by HBO, it seems like the prequel might become another massive hit by the television network.

The network has already released a fascinating description for the prequel on its website and according to the storyline, fans are in for another thrilling tale which takes place thousands of years before their favorite Game of Thrones characters were even born.

The plot, which stretches across kingdoms and clans (just like in the original series), will give a backstory on how White Walkers were born and reveal shocking secrets of Westeros’ history. According to the description, the prequel sounds like a familiar tale, but nothing like what we’ve learned about the fictional kingdoms so far.

The Plot

The story unfolds some 10,000 years before the birth of Jon Snow or the Daenerys Targaryen and is set in the Golden age of Heroes and will introduce viewers to some of the legendary characters they’ve heard about in the original show including the founder of House Stark named ‘Bran the Builder’ – who erected the wall in the North – as well as ‘Lann the Clever’ from whom descended the Lannister family.

The story takes a dark turn and leads into the Long Night, an era that saw one of the greatest battles against the White Walkers. But this is only part of the plot we are familiar with, and HBO’s description for the new prequel makes it clear that the show is not the ‘story we think we know’.

Although the plot for the new series is already complete, the television network revealed that it hasn’t decided on a title for the pilot episode yet, which isn’t meant to be released until the last season of the Game of Thrones has finished airing. If the pilot receives a green light from the network, it could pave way to an epic successor series in 2020. It could also make Game of Thrones the first show in HBO’s history to have a prequel – but then again, no HBO show has ever come close to being as successful as GoT.

HBO hired five different writers last year to come with follow-up ideas for GoT and Goldman’s plot was considered the most suitable for a prequel that fans would easily embrace

A Completely New Cast

However, if you’re expecting to see some of your favorite cast members from the original show, you’ll be disappointed to hear that the new series will have completely new characters – except the Night King, of course – given the timeline of the story.

The new show will also have new crew members behind the camera as Dan Weiss and David Benioff, who were showrunners for the original series, have declined to take part in producing the prequel. The talented duo has already committed to an exciting new project of writing the plot for the next Star Wars film.

The show is also expected to differ in perspective from its predecessor since it will be run be a female showrunner. The news of having Goldman at the forefront is creating a buzz in media since Game of Thrones has received severe backlash in the past for the way its female characters are treated.

The television network hired five different writers last year to come with follow-up ideas for the show and Goldman’s plot was considered the most suitable for a prequel that fans would easily embrace.

According to sources, HBO is aware that the reputation of its most prized show hinges on the new prequel but the network’s corporate parent, Time Warner, is confident that the show is in good hands with Goldman, who is one of the most impressive big-screen writers in Hollywood.

Do you think the Game of Thrones’ prequel will be as good as the original series?